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Rain has finally made its way from the south offering us much needed rain. The south suburbs are projected to receive approximately 3″ while the northern suburbs will get about 1″ – 1.5″ of rain.

As the rain continues today and tomorrow, keep watch on your home for stains on the ceiling. Stains are the result of leaks in the roof. If we can catch the leak right away, then you can avoid costly damage done to the roofing system as well as your personal items on the inside. Also be sure to check for any missing shingles or wooden shakes. This will be an obvious place for rain water to enter. Remember, just because the rain enters in through one spot doesn’t mean the leak will be directly underneath. Water loves to travel! Be sure to check the entire house for stains as you never know where water might end up…even your skylights!

Strong storms may only take a few minutes to pass through, but the results remind us for days to come. While you’re cleaning up the yard, be sure to watch for blown off shingles or slate. If you want to take it a step further, use your ladder to get a closer look at the roof.

Damaged Roof from Strong Storms

Check for damage to the ends of the shingles or to the gutters.

This is also a good time to check for loose or missing shingles.

Inspect the vents to ensure animals, debris or damage are not blocking the flow of air

Inspect the caulk at the chimney flashing. You’re looking for dried out or cracked caulking.

If climbing up to the roof isn’t what you’d like to do, call Showalter Roofing at 630-499-7700. We’ll check all of these points for you, take pictures so you can view the damage yourself and we’ll fix any damage caused by summer storms.

If there’s one thing we can count on are high winds coming at our homes from all directions. What can we expect from high winds? Shingles become loose and the loose ones end up in the grass or our driveway.

In our latest video, “Shingle Roof Repair on Windy Days” learn about the two shingle types: the standard 3 tab and the architectural shingle. Find out how the 3 tab shingle dries and curls allowing the wind to get under the tab and pull it away from the roofing system. Learn the benefits of an architectural shingle and how it adheres to the roof making it difficult for the shingle to pull away in high winds.

Each year, Showalter Roofing receives numerous calls for condensation problems. Many times after we visit the home and inspect the attic, we find it to be a humidity issue.

When temperatures plummet as typical Chicago weather proves each year, homeowners begin to notice moisture in the attic. Most times it’s due to the humidifiers directly installed on furnaces. If the humidity level on the inside…is above the level on the outside, condensation builds in our attics.

Take a trip up to your attic early in the morning. If you see a layer of frost on the underside of the plywood, it’s most likely condensation. As the outside temperature rises this frost will melt and water spots may occur on your ceiling.

If you notice moisture confined to a specific area of the roof decking, that’s most likely going to be a roofing problem. Call Showalter Roofing at 630.499.7700 to conduct a complete evaluation to verify a roofing issue.

Here are the Top 3 Ways Homeowners Can Combat Condensation Issues:

Turn the humidifier down on your furnace especially when it’s really cold outside. It doesn’t seem logical, however the furnace is turning on more frequently causing an increase of humidity in the air. To see a chart for setting your humidistat go to: http://www.showalterroofing.com/Condensation.php

Check your clothes dryer. Your dryer may not be hooked up properly. If warm moist air is getting into your home from the clothes dryer, it will end up in the attic.

Check if your bathroom fan is connected properly. If there is a problem, the warm moist air will quickly reach the attic.

Roof clean up for the fall can help you save unwanted repairs in the spring. Showalter Roofing will share with you what tasks need to be completed in the fall including leaf build up, ice damming, moisture collection, vents, animals and more! When done, be sure to call Showalter Roofing for our Fall Early Bird Special $100.

Most homes have at least one type of exhaust fan that exits into the attic. The most popular is the bathroom fan, but others include kitchen exhaust and dryer vents. If the fan exit through the attic it is important that it also is vented to the outside of the roof. If not this hot moist air will cause severe condensation in the attic and even mold growth. Here are some examples of what a fan looks like in the attic unvented and then vented to the outside:

There are vent kits that can be purchased at you local home improvement store to do this yourself. It includes the flexible pipe, attachments and the vent installed on the roof. We hope to have a video out soon that will give you the step by step process for correct installation. If you would like to be notified, contact us.

Another major factor that determines how long your roof will last is ventilation. If there is inadequate ventilation, problems like condensation in the winter and excessive heat inthe summer will shorten the life of the roof system and cause major damage to the wood deck. Attics need to ‘breathe’. This picture shows what happens to the plywood when condensation builds up due to heat loss and there is inadequate ventilation.

This adds to the expense of roof replacement. To solve the problem, make sure there is at least R-30 insulation in the attic, and soffit vents and attic vents in the upper part of the roof. Here are 3 different types of roof vents available: